The Music Box
by sarahcatherine1901
Summary: Bella Swan has a weekend job at a local record store. But there's only one problem- Bella adores her boss, Edward Cullen. Will Bella cross the employee/er boundary to be with him and risk her job or will she carry on pretending and deny herself true love?


**A/N- This is my first go at writing a full story that's more than one chapter. I know this is a short chapter, but I want to see how it goes before I write zillion-word chapters. Have a read and PLEASE REVIEW!! I really appreciate you taking the time to read my little story, but reviewing really makes my day+I'll write back to em all. Pinky promise. If you have any suggestions or helpful criticism, please review or PM me(:**

**Basically, Bella is 20 and lives in London, she is working in a record store called 'The Music Box.'**

**Thankyouuu :) Hope you enjoy+see you at the bottom..**

**I can't stop this feeling I've got,**  
**I know who I am and I know what I'm not,**  
**I know where I've been and I know what Ive lost**  
**But I cant stop this feeling I've got**  
**Wasn't looking ahead and I heard**  
**Didn't I see, didn't I learn**  
**And I don't know what you mean to me**  
**But I'm starting to think its just a mystery.**

**----**

**I Can't Stop This Feeling I've Got- Razorlight**

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**The Music Box**

**_SarahCatherine1901_**

**Bella's POV**

Saturday morning. Finally.

For most people Saturday was the best day of the week because they were off work, free to shop, lounge, eat anything, get pissed, but for me, Saturday was the best day of the week because I have work. Yes, work. I'm not a lunatic, I really am excited at the prospect of spending 8 hours at the local record store every Saturday, and despite the measly £6.47 an hour I'm paid. In fact, I'm ecstatic- and that's in no way sarcastic.

My cat, Mack, (or Mackaroon as I preferred to call him,) decided that sitting underneath my kitchen chair whilst I'm drinking my morning mug of coffee was _yet again _the best place in the entire apartment to lounge. I was sat at my kitchen table sipping the steaming cup of coffee that I couldn't function without, letting it filter through my system awakening me from a 10 hour sleep. As I pushed by my chair to stand up I felt something furry underneath my left foot. Being Bella Swan, I couldn't just get off a chair and walk into my bedroom to get dressed. No. I had to stand on Mack's tail and have my foot effectively clawed into shreds before it had even turned 9 o'clock.

"Holy shit Mack! Why do you have to sit there, please, for the sake of my sanity and my feet, can you not sit there?" I whined, my voice still rough from sleep. Tears prickled at my eyes from the scratches on the sensitive underside of my foot, but I refused to let something as stupid as my cat ruin my morning and put me in a bad mood for work.

After a quick shower, I dried my hair, running my fingers through the tangled ends in a hope to smooth it out, but like I said, I was Bella Swan and luck was most definitely on my side. I gave up on any attempts to smoothen it down since I had no clue how to effectively use the contraptions my mother had sent me from Phoenix. The only time I had I'd been left with what I swore were third degree burns on my hands and a hot and flustered face. "Bella sweetie" She'd cooed, "they're hair straightners. Just pull them through your hair and voila! In no time it'll be as smooth as a baby's bottom rather than that um, usual fluffy hairdo you sport." Still, 'pulling them through my hair' as she put it had never worked out for me, so I gave up- leaving my apartment in my skinny jeans, 'The Killers' t-shirt, my favourite cupcake-printed converse and my 'usually fluffy hairdo' as Renee had so kindly put it, setting off to work.

I'd never been one of those girls who fit-in, not at primary or high school and I still hadn't managed it at university. I was living in London on my own, studying English literature at university and spending my Saturdays funding my excessive love of music by working in the local record store. Unlike in Phoenix, where I'd lived until the age of 16, London didn't have scorching weather, so I ended up strolling down the wet and rainy streets, past Starbucks ( which inevitably left me clutching onto my second coffee of the day,) wishing I had grabbed a jacket.

_Note to self,_ my inner monologue began, _bring jacket to work tomorrow: British weather is getting worse._

When I finally into the record store which I worked in, I almost pulled the door off its hinges so I could warm my freezing body in the warmth the indoor's promised. The bell above the door jingled to announce my entrance to the yet-to-open shop.

"Oh, hey Bella, your here. Had a good week?" The voice danced through the empty shop, seeming out of place for such an average looking place- it belonged somewhere exotic, beautiful, unique and amazing. It belonged to someone fitting all those descriptions. It belonged to my boss, Edward Cullen.

I realised I hadn't moved since I came through the door and was currently stood on the 'welcome to The Music Box' doormat as I stared at the sight in front of me. Edward- or what I assumed was Edward, walked towards me carrying a pile of boxes, piled on top of each other so they covered his face. One had 'VAN MORRISON' on and the other with 'BELLA'S FAV'S- DON'T SELL!!' written on it in a bright blue sharpie. When he was about 3 paces away from me, he put the boxes onto the floor and looked up at me.

He was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and his favourite grey t-shirt which left his toned forearms exposed to my wandering eyes and a pair of navy blue converse that had now being splattered with every colour paint and mud they could find. I raised my head slightly to look at his magnificent face; his jaw line was covered with a light shadow of stubble which looked strangely soft and touchable. His nose and cheekbones were too perfect to belong to someone from this world- they were defined, but against his stubble looked soft and just plain frikkin' gorgeous. His hair was sticking in every direction; each lock curled in the opposite direction to another.

Brown hair was common, but I had never seen anyone with the same shade as Edward's- it was a golden bronze that almost shined in the sunlight. One solitary piece flopped forward over his forehead and almost into his eyes. My hand actually twitched to brush it back on top of his head, but I knew I couldn't do that, so I held it still beside my waist. I saved his eyes until last. I knew that once I looked into the swirling pools of emerald green that my knees would turn to mush and my heart would beat erratically out of my chest- exactly as they were doing now. They held so much emotion that I felt I could see straight into his soul when I looked into them, the brightest liquid green shone back at me and sparkled everytime he smiled. I could feel myself drowning in them, loosing myself in the swirling colour and almost leaning forward to get a closer look.

"Umm, Bella, you ok there?" He grinned at me, but the slight pucker between his eyebrows showed his puzzlement at my odd behaviour.

Oh God. He was awaiting a reply to his earlier question and I was stood ogling him like a love-sick teenager. _Pull yourself together Bella, he's just a guy. _Just a guy. Just your incredibly smokin' hot boss Bella- there's absolutely nothing to worry about... Just don't word vomit in front of him.

"Er, sorry Edward I don't think this coffee's worked its way into my system yet." I held up the Starbucks cup as evidence to back-up my flustered attempt at a lie. Not that he'd believe me, a deep crimson blush would seep into my cheeks any minute now at the embarrassment of being caught ogling him and at my pathetic lie.

He chuckled, a deep chuckle that rumbled in his chest and made his lips, oh Lord his lips, pull upwards at both corners in a deep smile. "Bella, I can tell that's not 100% truthful thanks to that blush which is now covering your face, but anyway, how _was_ your weekend B?"

B. He called me B. Again. Edward Cullen had given me a nickname on precisely the 4th weekend I had worked at his Dad's record shop- The Music Box- that was 2 months ago. I almost jumped up and down on the spot right in front of him every time he called me it- but thought better of it this time and quickly pulled an answer together and attempted to say it in an articulate fashion; instead I spurted it out of my mouth- sounding flustered and rushed.

"Yeah, it was good thanks, pretty average. How was your week then, anything decent happen?"

"Yeah, pretty much the same as normal." He smiled lazily, "I stayed in watching the entire series of Lord Of The Rings while eating my way through the entire contents of my fridge."

"You need to get out more Edward- those movies are like 3 hours long each!" I threw my hands up in the air, gripping the now-empty coffee cup in one hand at his mock-mortified expression.

"Those films are genius Bella. If you haven't seen them by now, you're seriously missing out on a life experience. By the way, can you put these out for me?" He pointed to the boxes he'd brought from the stockroom and placed at his feet. "They're both filled with Van Morrison albums, apparently some movie star did covers of some of songs and all these kids are buying the originals, just to listen to the same music as he does or something. Anyway, they need putting out as soon as please." Apparently the Lord Of The Rings conversation was abandoned, but since I would have spouted some insanely stupid reply at some point anyway, I figured he'd saved me my dignity by ending that conversation.

"No way Edward. I'm not putting them out."

I could hear my inner monologue shouting at me: _Bella! Why the hell can't did you say that? He thinks you're serious, that your rude you know. That your actually ignoring his instruction, he is still your boss, no matter how gorgeous he it... sort it out Bella..._

He obviously didn't understand his mix-up- his mouth opened into a tiny 'O' shape leaving a clearly shocked expression plastered to his face.

"No, Edward I mean you've picked up my box of albums, not the Van Morrison or whatever. The ones in the box labelled," I added air quotes with my fingers, "'BELLA'S FAVS- DON'T SELL', are what I've put aside for me to buy, they weren't supposed to be put out- I think you must have picked up the wrong box." My voice turned quiet and I bowed my head as my cheeks filled up with the blood of my blushing. "Um, sorry I didn't mean to sound so angry...I'll just go put these out..." My voice trailed off with the embarrassment of making a fool out of myself once again and being born without the skill of being able to form an articulate response.

I leaned over reaching for the box that was supposed to be put out-the Van Morrison one, when a sudden spurt of deep laughter startled me and my head pulled itself up without me even thinking about it. Edward was laughing; his eyes were sparkling as he held his stomach with his arm as if attempting to stop his sides from splitting open with the shakes from his laughter. Looking at him while he laughed, I couldn't help myself from smiling with him. He was beautiful, almost too beautiful to look at.

"Bella you are utterly absurd," he spluttered as his laughing slowed to a chuckle. "Calm yourself down, I won't sack you or anything, I'm used to your blushing and ranting by now," he teased.

"Sorry, sometimes my mouth works before my brain. What I meant to say was that that box isn't supposed to go out onto the shelves, it's meant for me to take home and you've picked up the wrong one. I'll go put this one back and then get sorted with the next delivery."

As I looked back at his face he was smiling at me, his eyes smouldering with an emotion I couldn't place. Rather than stand here any longer and ponder what his eyes were holding, I picked up the misplaced box and carried it back into the stockroom. I had only started my eight hour shift 10 minutes ago and already I had being flustered, blushed, smiled and made a fool out of myself twice in front of him. I stood in the cool air of the stockroom a minute longer than necessary as an attempt to cool the blush in my face and calm my racing heart.

He was my boss, I knew nothing could happen between us, not that he would ever take any interest in plain and boring Bella Swan anyway. I also knew that no man had ever had such an effect on me as he did; sure, I'd 'liked' a guy before, I'd dated, but never had I become so affected by one person with just a simple conversation. If there was one thing I was absolutely certain of though, it was that without doubt, Edward Cullen would be the death of me. I was entranced by everything he did. Part of me was hoping and praying that someday he and I could become a 'we', the other, more rational part of my brain was telling me 'no.' That anything more than a manager-employee relationship, or the friendship we had now, was inappropriate. Never mind the fact that it would never happen, he was amazing- both inside and out and I was ordinary. Ordinary Bella Swan.

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**A/N- Thanks for reading! This is a brand-spanking new story so please review and let me know what you think. Or you can add me to story/author alert. Them emails make my day!!! If you have any suggestions or helpful criticism, please review or PM me, I'd love to know what you think.**

**I also have a one-shot called 'The Final Goodbye' Have a read if you'd like to, it's on my profile page.(:**

**CHEERIO CHUCKS.**

**xxxxxx**


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